Crate

ABSTRACT

Crates may be positioned in stacked arrangements for use and nested arrangements for storage. The nested arrangements may be more compact to facilitate more efficient storage of the crates when not in use. The crates may include one or more features that may be sized and configured to align and/or interlock the crates when in the stacked arrangement and/or the nested arrangement.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/171,384, filed Apr. 21, 2009and entitled CRATE, the disclosure of which is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to crates.

2. Description of Related Art

Conventional milk crates have a rectangular-shaped bottom, fourrectangular side walls and an open-ended top. Unfortunately, stackingsuch milk crates may take up a large amount of space, making theminefficient to store. Because they are inefficient to store, they areoften stacked outside of buildings and other structures, making themsusceptible to weather damage and to theft.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

A need therefore exists for a crate that eliminates or diminishes thedisadvantages and problems described above.

One aspect is a system that may include one or more crates. The cratesmay each include, for example, a floor and side walls. The crates may bearranged in a variety of relative positions and/or orientations. When ina first relative position, the crates may be arranged in a stackedarrangement in which the crates are positioned to hold and/or storeitems. When in a second relative position, the crates may be arranged ina nested, more compact arrangement in which at least a substantialportion of an upper crate may be disposed within an adjacent lowercrate.

Another aspect is a plurality of crates that may be positioned in astacked arrangement and a nested arrangement. The height of the crates10 in the nested arrangement may be less than about 50 percent, 40percent, 30 percent and/or 20 percent of the height of the crates in thestacked arrangement. Moreover, the ratio of the height of the crates 10in the stacked arrangement to the height of the crates in the nestedarrangement may be at least about 2, 3, 4 and/or 5 to 1. For example, inone embodiment, at least about one hundred fifty nested crates may fitinto the space that thirty stacked crates may occupy. The crates maythus provide significant advantages. For example, items may be placedinto crates for storage and the crates may then be stacked. When thecrates are no longer being used to store and/or carry the items, theempty crates may be nested and stored in a much smaller area than theyoccupied when stacked. Significantly, this may allow more of the emptycrates to be stored inside secured areas and/or areas out of theweather, which may help prevent weather damage to, and/or theft of, thecrates

Yet another aspect is a crate that may include one or more alignmentand/or interlocking portions. The alignment and/or interlocking portionsmay be sized and configured to align and/or interlock the crates when inthe stacked arrangement and/or the nested arrangement.

A further aspect is the crates may include a support that mayinterconnect opposing side walls. When in the nested arrangement, thesupports of a pair of adjacent crates may be aligned to allow thesupports to nest within and/or interlock with each other. In addition,when the crates are in the stacked position, the supports of the pair ofadjacent crates may be generally offset, which may allow the support ofthe lower crate to contact one or more portions of the upper crate tohelp stabilize the upper crate. In some instances, the support of acrate may extend along at least a substantial portion of the height ofits side walls, which may advantageously help strengthen, stiffen and/orreinforce the side walls and the crate.

Another further aspect is the crates may include side walls that mayinclude one or more projections and/or receiving portions. Theprojections and/or receiving portions may interlock with each other whenthe crates are in the nested arrangement. The projections may also helpalign, support and/or stabilize the crates when in the stackedarrangement. For example, when the crates are in the stackedarrangement, the projections of the lower crate may contact, abut and/orengage an exterior surface of the upper crate, which may help align,support and/or stabilize the upper crate. In some instances, theprojections of a crate may extend along at least a substantial portionof the height of its side walls, which may advantageously helpstrengthen, stiffen and/or reinforce the side walls and the crate.

Yet another further aspect is that one or more portions of side walls ofthe crates may extend inwardly. When the crates are in the stackedarrangement, the inwardly extending portions of the side walls of thelower crate may contact, abut and/or engage an exterior surface of theside walls of the upper crate, which may help align, support and/orstabilize the upper crate. When the crates are in the nestedarrangement, the inwardly extending portions of the side walls of theupper and lower crates may interlock with each other.

Still another aspect is a crate that may be constructed from plasticusing a molding process, such as compression molding, injection moldingand/or any other suitable molding process. Desirably, if the crate isconstructed from plastic using a molding process, some or all of thecrate's features may be quickly and easily integrally formed in thecrates as part of unitary one-piece construction during the moldingprocess. It will be appreciated, however, that the crates need not havea unitary, one piece construction. It will also be appreciated that thecrates need not be constructed from plastic or using a molding processand may be constructed from plastic, wood, metal and/or any otherdesired material using any other desired manufacturing process.

Another aspect is a first crate and a second crate that may be arrangedin a plurality of stacked positions and a plurality of nested positions.In particular, the crates may be arranged in a first nested position inwhich the first crate is nested within the second crate and a secondnested position in which the second crate is nested within the firstcrate. In addition, the crates may be arranged in a first stackedposition in which the first crate is stacked upon the second crate and asecond stacked position in which the second crate is stacked upon thefirst crate. The crates may, for example, be at least substantiallyinterchangeable to allow the crates to be arranged in these variousstacked and nested positions.

These and other aspects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become more fully apparent from the following detaileddescription of preferred embodiments and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The appended drawings contain figures of preferred embodiments tofurther illustrate and clarify the above and other aspects, advantagesand features of the present invention. It will be appreciated that thesedrawings depict only preferred embodiments of the invention and are notintended to limit its scope. The invention will be described andexplained with additional specificity and detail through the use of theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary crate;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of two crates of FIG. 1, illustrating thecrates in a stacked arrangement;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the crates shown in FIG. 2, illustratingthe crates in a nested arrangement;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the crates shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of other exemplary crates;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the crates shown in FIG. 5, illustratingthe crates in a stacked arrangement; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the crates shown in FIG. 6, illustratingthe crates in a nested arrangement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is generally directed towards crates. Theprinciples of the present invention, however, are not limited to crates.It will be understood that, in light of the present disclosure, thecrates disclosed herein can be successfully used in connection withother types of storage, shipping and/or organization systems.

Additionally, to assist in the description of the crate, words such astop, bottom, front, rear, right and left may be used to describe theaccompanying figures, which are not necessarily drawn to scale. It willbe appreciated, however, that the crate can be located in a variety ofdesired positions and/or orientations. A detailed description of thecrate now follows.

As shown in FIG. 1, a crate 10 may include a floor 12 and side walls 14,16, 18, 20. The crate 10 may be used to hold and/or store various items.The items may, for example, be placed into the crate 10 for storage andmay be taken out of the crate when the stored items are needed.

The crate 10 may be sized and configured to hold and/or storecontainers, such as cartons, jugs, bottles, etc. For example, the crate10 may be sized and configured to hold and/or store one or morecontainers that hold beverages (such as milk, water, orange juice orother beverages) and/or other liquids. The crate 10 may, for instance,may have a generally square or rectangular shape and may form a first,generally rectangular receptacle 22 sized and configured to receive oneor two one-gallon-sized containers and a second, generally rectangularreceptacle 24 sized and configured to receive one or twoone-gallon-sized containers. It will be appreciated, however, that thecrate 10 may form a single receptacle or two or more receptacles sizedand configured to receive any number of larger or smaller capacitycontainers. It will also be appreciated that the crate 10 and/or thereceptacles 22, 24 do not require generally square or rectangular shapesand may have other suitable shapes. Moreover, it will be appreciatedthat the receptacles of the crate 10 need not be sized and configured toreceive containers and, instead, may be sized and configured to receiveany other desired item that the crate 10 is intended to hold and/orstore.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, two or more of the crates 10 may be arrangedin a variety of relative positions and/or orientations. When a pair ofadjacent crates are in a first relative position shown in FIG. 2, thecrates 10 may be arranged in a stacked arrangement in which the cratesare positioned to hold and/or store items. When the pair of adjacentcrates are in the stacked position, the upper crate may be at leastsubstantially disposed outside of the lower crate. For example, at leastabout 80 percent, 85 percent, 90 percent, 95 percent or more of theheight of an upper crate may be disposed outside of the lower crate.

When the pair of adjacent crates are in a second relative position shownin FIG. 3, the crates 10 may be arranged in a nested, more compactarrangement in which at least a substantial portion of an upper crate isdisposed within an adjacent lower crate. For example, at least about 10percent, 20 percent, 30 percent, 40 percent, 50 percent, 60 percent, 70percent or more of the height of an upper crate may be disposed withinan adjacent lower crate.

Desirably, the height of the crates 10 in the nested arrangement may besubstantially less than the height of the crates in the stackedarrangement. For example, the height of the crates 10 in the nestedarrangement may be less than about 50 percent, 40 percent, 30 percentand/or 20 percent of the height of the crates in the stackedarrangement. Moreover, the ratio of the height of the crates 10 in thestacked arrangement to the height of the crates in the nestedarrangement may be at least about 2, 3, 4 and/or 5 to 1. For instance,in one embodiment, at least about one hundred fifty nested crates 10 mayfit into the space that thirty stacked crates may occupy. It will beappreciated, however, that the heights of the stacked or nested crates10 and/or the ratios thereof may be larger or smaller depending, forexample, upon the particular size and configuration of the crates.

The crates 10 may include one or more alignment and/or interlockingportions. As discussed below, the alignment and/or interlocking portionsmay be sized and configured to align and/or interlock the crates when inthe stacked arrangement and/or the nested arrangement.

In further detail, the crates 10 may include one or more supports 26shown in FIG. 1, and when in the nested arrangement, the supports may bealigned to allow the supports to nest within and/or interlock with eachother. The support 26 may, for example, at least partially form areceiving portion 28, which may be aligned with and/or positioned belowthe support 26. As shown in FIG. 3, the receiving portion 28 of thesupport 26 of an upper crate 10 a may be sized and configured to receiveand/or interlock with at least a portion of the support 26 of a lowercrate 10 b.

In contrast, when a pair of adjacent crates are in the stacked position,the support 26 of the upper crate 10 a and the support 26 of the lowercrate 10 b may be generally offset, for example, at about 90 degreesoffset from each other. This may allow the support 26 of the lower crate10 b to contact one or more portions of the upper crate 10 a to helpsupport and/or stabilize the upper crate 10 a. In greater detail, thefloor 12 of the crates 10 may include one or more receiving portions 30(such as grooves, channels, slots or other receiving portions) that mayreceive and/or interlock with one or more supports 26. To help supportand/or stabilize the upper crate 10 a, the lower crate's support 26 maycontact, abut and/or engage the receiving portion 30 of the upper crate.When more than two crates are in the stacked position, the orientationsof the supports 26 of the crates may alternate—such that the supports ofadjacent crates may be generally offset, but the supports ofodd-numbered-positioned crates may be generally aligned and the supportsof even-numbered-positioned crates may be generally aligned.

The side walls 14, 16, 18, 20 of the crates 10 may include one or moreprojections 32 and receiving portions 34 that may interlock with eachother when the crates are in the nested arrangement. In further detail,as shown in FIG. 1, an interior surface of the side walls 14, 18 mayinclude one or more elongated projections 32 that may project inwardly.An exterior surface of the side walls 14, 18 may include one or moreelongated receiving portions 34 (such as grooves, channels, slots orother receiving portions). When the crates 10 are in the nestedarrangement, the receiving portions 34 may receive and/or interlock withat least a portion of the projections 32.

The projections 32 may also be sized and configured to help align,support and/or stabilize the crates 10 when in the stacked arrangement.For example, when the crates are in the stacked arrangement as shown inFIG. 2, the projections 32 of the lower crate 10 b may contact, abutand/or engage an exterior surface of the upper crate 10 a, which mayhelp align, support and/or stabilize the upper crate. In addition, theprojections 32 of the lower crate 10 b may form ledges 36. As shown inFIG. 4, a portion of the upper crate 10 a may contact, abut and/or restupon the ledges 36 of the lower crate 10 b, which may help furtheralign, support and/or stabilize the upper crate.

As shown in FIG. 1, the crates 10 may include one or more ribs 38, 40,42 that may extend around all or at least a substantial portion of anouter periphery of the crate 10. In addition, the ribs 38, 40, 42 mayhave a generally horizontal orientation. The ribs 38, 40, 42 may helpstrengthen, stiffen and/or reinforce the crate 10. In addition, when thecrates are in the nested arrangement as shown in FIG. 3, the rib 42 ofthe upper crate 10 a may contact, abut and/or rest upon the rib 38 ofthe lower crate 10 b, which may help further align, support and/orstabilize the upper crate. Moreover, when the crates are in the nestedarrangement as shown in FIG. 3, the rib 42 of the upper crate 10 a maycontact, abut and/or rest upon one or more of the projections 32 and/orledges 36 of the lower crate 10 b, which may even further align, supportand/or stabilize the upper crate.

As shown in FIG. 1, portions 44, 46 the side walls 16, 20 of the crates10 may extend inwardly. When the crates are in the stacked arrangementas shown in FIG. 2, the inwardly extending portions 44, 46 of the sidewalls 16, 20 of the lower crate 10 b may contact, abut and/or engage anexterior surface of the side walls 14, 18 of the upper crate 10 a, whichmay help align, support and/or stabilize the upper crate. When thecrates are in the nested arrangement as shown in FIG. 3, the inwardlyextending portions 44, 46 of the side walls 16, 20 of the upper andlower crates 10 a, 10 b may interlock with each other.

As shown in FIG. 1, the support 26 may interconnect a pair of opposingside walls 16, 20. In addition, the support 26 and/or the receivingportion 28 may also extend along at least a substantial portion of theheight of the side walls 16, 20. The support 26 and/or the receivingportion 28 may, for example, extend along at least about 20 percent, 30percent, 40 percent, 50 percent or more of the height of the side walls16, 20. Desirably, if the support 26 interconnects the side walls 16, 20and/or extends along at least a substantial portion of the height of theside walls 16, 20, the support may advantageously strengthen, stiffenand/or reinforce the side walls and the crate 10.

The support 26 may also be located in a generally central portion of thecrate 10 and may interconnect generally central portions of the sidewalls 16, 20. Significantly, if the support 26 is located in a generallycentral portion of the crate 10 and interconnects generally centralportions of the side walls 16, 20, the support may provide balancedstrength to and/or reinforcement of the side walls and the crate 10.Moreover, if the support 26 is located in a generally central portion ofthe crate 10, the support 26 may help form a pair of at leastsubstantially equal-sized receptacles 22, 24, each of which can, asdiscussed above, be optionally sized and configured to hold twoone-gallon-sized containers. It will be appreciated, however, that thesupport 26 need not be located in a generally central portion of thecrate and may be positioned in any other desired location. It will alsobe appreciated the support 26 is not required.

As shown in FIG. 1, the projections 32 and/or the receiving portions 34may have an elongated shape that may extend along at least a substantialportion of the height of the side walls 14, 18. The projections 32and/or the receiving portions 34 may, for example, extend along at leastabout 20 percent, 30 percent, 40 percent, 50 percent or more of theheight of the side walls 14, 18. Desirably, if the projections 32 extendalong at least a substantial portion of the height of the side walls 14,18, the projections may advantageously strengthen, stiffen and/orreinforce the side walls. It will be appreciated, however, that theprojections 32 and the receiving portions 34 do not require an elongatedshape and may have other suitable shapes, sizes and/or configurations.It will also be appreciated the projections 32 and the receivingportions 34 are not required.

The projections 32 on the interior surface of a single side wall may begenerally aligned with the receiving portions 34 on the exterior surfaceof that side wall. Desirably, if the projections 32 on the interiorsurface of the side wall are generally aligned with the receivingportions 34 on the exterior surface of that side wall, this may allowthe projections and receiving portions to be more quickly and easilymanufactured. For example, where the crate is formed from plastic usinga molding process and the projections 32 and the receiving portions 34of the side wall are generally aligned, the projections 32 and thereceiving portions 34 of the side wall may be formed using a singlefeature of a mold. Moreover, if the projections 32 of the side walls 14,18 are generally aligned and project towards each other as shown in FIG.1 and the projections and receiving portions of each individual wall aregenerally aligned, this may help the projections and receiving portionsinterlock with each other when the crates are in the nested arrangement.

To further help the projections help the projections and receivingportions interlock with each other when the crates are in the nestedarrangement, the side walls 14, 18 may include a first projection 32 anda second projection 32 shown in FIG. 1, and the first and secondprojections may be at least substantially equally spaced apart from theside walls 16, 18. It will be appreciated, however, that the first andsecond projections 32 of the side walls 14, 18 need not be at leastsubstantially equally spaced apart from the side walls 16, 18. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 5, side walls 48, 50 of crates 52 a, 52 b mayinclude first and second projections 54 that may be spaced apart atsubstantially different distances from side walls 56, 58. For example,the first projection 54 may be spaced apart from the wall 56 at adistance that is at least two, three or more times the distance that thesecond projection 54 is spaced apart from the wall 58.

If desired, the crates 52 a, 52 b may have the same features as, orsimilar features to, the crates 10 a, 10 b and/or may have otherfeatures. Thus, for example, the crates 52 a, 52 b may be stacked asshown in FIG. 6 and nested as shown in FIG. 7. Moreover, the projections54 may have the same features as, or similar features to, theprojections 32 and/or other features. Thus, for instance, theprojections 54 may facilitate stacking and nesting of the crates 52 a,52 b. To help further facilitate nesting, the crates 52 a, 52 b mayinclude receiving portions (such as elongated slots 60 that may extendthrough the side walls 48, 50 and/or the floor 62), which may receiveand/or interlock with at least a portion of the projections 54 when thecrates 52 a, 52 b are nested as shown in FIG. 7.

As shown in FIGS. 1-7, the crates 10, 52 may have a generally taperedconfiguration that tapers from an upper portion of the crates to a lowerportion of the crates. Desirably, this may help facilitate nesting ofthe crates. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, to accommodate thegenerally tapered configuration of the crates, the projections 32, 54may also have a generally tapered configuration. It will be appreciated,however, that the crates 10, 52 and projections 32, 54 do not requireany generally tapered configuration and may have other suitableconfigurations.

The crates 10, 52 may also include one or more vents. For example, asshown in FIG. 1, a crate 10 can optionally include one or more vents 64that may extend through the floor 12; the side walls 14, 16, 18, 20;and/or the support 26. The vents 64, however, are not required.

As shown in FIGS. 2-3 and 6-7 and discussed above, a first crate 10 a,52 a may be positioned above a second crate 10 b, 52 b, and thus, thecrate 10 a, 52 a may be referred to the upper crate and the crate 10 b,52 b may be referred to as the lower crate. It will be appreciated,however, the crates 10, 52 may be sized and configured to beinterchangeably nested and/or stacked with the crate 10 b, 52 b abovethe crate 10 a, 52 a, such that the crate 10 b, 52 b is the upper crateand the crate 10 a, 52 a is the lower crate.

If desired, the upper and lower crates may have at least substantiallythe same sizes, shapes, configurations and/or features, which mayadvantageously help the upper and lower crates be at least substantiallyinterchangeable when nested and/or stacked. It will be appreciated,however, the upper and lower crates may have substantially differentsizes, shapes, configurations and/or features and need not beinterchangeable.

The crates 10, 52 may be constructed from plastic using a moldingprocess, such as compression molding, injection molding and/or any othersuitable molding process. Desirably, if the crates 10, 52 areconstructed from plastic using a molding process, some or all of thecrates' features may be quickly and easily integrally formed in thecrates as part of unitary one-piece construction during the moldingprocess. For example, the floors 12, 62; the side walls 14, 16, 18, 20,48, 50, 56, 58; the receptacles 22, 24; the support 26; the receivingportions 28, 30, 34; the projections 32, 54; the ledges 36; the ribs 38,40, 42; the inwardly extending portions 44, 46 the side walls 16, 20;the slots 60; the vents 64; and/or any other features may be integrallyformed in the crates as part of unitary one-piece construction duringthe molding process. It will be appreciated, however, that the crates10, 52 need not have a unitary, one piece construction. It will also beappreciated that the crates 10, 52 need not be constructed from plasticor using a molding process and may be constructed from plastic, wood,metal and/or any other desired material using any other desiredmanufacturing process.

In view of the foregoing, the crates 10, 52 may have significantadvantages. For example, items may be placed into crates 10, 52 forstorage and the crates may then be stacked. When the crates 10, 52 areno longer being used to store and/or carry the items, the empty cratesmay be nested and stored in a much smaller area than they occupied whenstacked. Significantly, this may allow more of the empty crates 10, 52to be stored inside secured areas and/or areas out of the weather, whichmay help prevent weather damage to, and/or theft of, the crates.

Although this invention has been described in terms of certain preferredembodiments, other embodiments apparent to those of ordinary skill inthe art are also within the scope of this invention. Accordingly, thescope of the invention is intended to be defined only by the claimswhich follow.

1. A system comprising: a first crate including a floor and a plurality of side walls; a second crate including a floor and a plurality of side walls; wherein the first and second crates are sized and configured to be arranged in a first stacked arrangement in which the first crate is positioned adjacent to and above the second crate and in which at least about eighty (80) percent of the height of the first crate is disposed outside of the second crate; wherein the first and second crates are sized and configured to be arranged in a second stacked arrangement in which the second crate is positioned adjacent to and above the first crate and in which at least about eighty (80) percent of the height of the second crate is disposed outside of the first crate; wherein the first and second crates are sized and configured to be arranged in a first nested arrangement in which the first crate is positioned adjacent to and above the second crate and in which at least about ten (10) percent of the height of the first crate is disposed within the second crate; and wherein the first and second crates are sized and configured to be arranged in a second nested arrangement in which the second crate is positioned adjacent to and above the first crate and in which at least about ten (10) percent of the height of the second crate is disposed within the first crate.
 2. The system as in claim 1, wherein, when the first and second crates are arranged in the first stacked arrangement, at least about eighty five (85) percent of the height of the first crate is disposed outside of the second crate; and wherein, when the first and second crates are arranged in the second stacked arrangement, at least about eighty five (85) percent of the height of the second crate is disposed outside of the first crate.
 3. The system as in claim 1, wherein, when the first and second crates are arranged in the first stacked arrangement, at least about ninety (90) percent of the height of the first crate is disposed outside of the second crate; and wherein, when the first and second crates are arranged in the second stacked arrangement, at least about ninety (90) percent of the height of the second crate is disposed outside of the first crate.
 4. The system as in claim 1, wherein, when the first and second crates are arranged in the first nested arrangement, at least about twenty (20) percent of the height of the first crate is disposed within the second crate; and wherein, when the first and second crates are arranged in the second nested arrangement, at least about twenty (20) percent of the height of the second crate is disposed within the first crate.
 5. The system as in claim 1, wherein, when the first and second crates are arranged in the first nested arrangement, at least about thirty (30) percent of the height of the first crate is disposed within the second crate; and wherein, when the first and second crates are arranged in the second nested arrangement, at least about thirty (30) percent of the height of the second crate is disposed within the first crate.
 6. The system as in claim 1, wherein, when the first and second crates are arranged in the first nested arrangement, at least about forty (40) percent of the height of the first crate is disposed within the second crate; and wherein, when the first and second crates are arranged in the second nested arrangement, at least about forty (40) percent of the height of the second crate is disposed within the first crate.
 7. The system as in claim 1, wherein, when the first and second crates are arranged in the first nested arrangement, at least about fifty (50) percent of the height of the first crate is disposed within the second crate; and wherein, when the first and second crates are arranged in the second nested arrangement, at least about fifty (50) percent of the height of the second crate is disposed within the first crate.
 8. A system comprising: a first crate including: a floor; a plurality of side walls including a first side wall and a second side wall; a generally centrally located support that extends between the first and second side walls of the first crate to form a pair of receptacles in the first crate; and a first receiving portion; and a second crate including: a floor; a plurality of side walls including a first side wall and a second side wall; a generally centrally located support that extends between the first and second side walls of the second crate to form a pair of receptacles in the second crate; and a first receiving portion; wherein the first and second crates are sized and configured to be arranged in a first stacked arrangement in which the first crate is positioned adjacent to and above the second crate and the generally centrally located supports of the first and second crate are generally offset; wherein the first and second crates are sized and configured to be arranged in a second stacked arrangement in which the second crate is positioned adjacent to and above the first crate and the generally centrally located supports of the first and second crate are generally offset; wherein the first and second crates are sized and configured to be arranged in a first nested arrangement in which the first crate is positioned adjacent to and above the second crate, the generally centrally located supports of the first and second crate are generally aligned, and the first receiving portion of the first crate receives at least a portion of the generally centrally located support of the second crate; and wherein the first and second crates are sized and configured to be arranged in a second nested arrangement in which the second crate is positioned adjacent to and above the first crate, the generally centrally located supports of the first and second crate are generally aligned, and the first receiving portion of the second crate receives at least a portion of the generally centrally located support of the first crate.
 9. The system as in claim 8, wherein, when the first and second crates are arranged in the first stacked arrangement, the generally centrally located supports of the first and second crate are offset about ninety (90) degrees from each other; and wherein, when the first and second crates are arranged in the second stacked arrangement, the generally centrally located supports of the first and second crate are offset about ninety (90) degrees from each other.
 10. The system as in claim 8, wherein the first receiving portion of the first crate is positioned below and is at least partially formed by the generally centrally located support of the first crate; and wherein the first receiving portion of the second crate is positioned below and is at least partially formed by the generally centrally located support of the second crate.
 11. The system as in claim 8, wherein the floor of the first crate includes a channel that receives a portion of the generally centrally located support of the second crate when the first and second crate are in the first stacked arrangement; and wherein the floor of the second crate includes a channel that receives a portion of the generally centrally located support of the first crate when the first and second crate are in the second stacked arrangement.
 12. The system as in claim 8, wherein the plurality of side walls of the first crate further includes: a third side wall including an interior surface and an exterior surface; one or more projections projecting inwardly from the interior surface of the third side wall; a fourth side wall; and one or more projections projecting inwardly from the interior surface of the fourth side wall; wherein, when the first and second crate are in the second stacked arrangement in which the second crate is positioned adjacent to and above the first crate, the projections projecting inwardly from the interior surfaces of the third and fourth side walls of the first crate abut the first and second side walls of the second crate to stabilize the second crate.
 13. The system as in claim 8, wherein the floor of the first crate includes a channel that receives a portion of the generally centrally located support of the second crate when the first and second crate are in the first stacked arrangement; and wherein the floor of the second crate includes a channel that receives a portion of the generally centrally located support of the first crate when the first and second crate are in the second stacked arrangement.
 14. The system as in claim 8, wherein the pair of receptacles in the first crate include a first receptacle sized and configured to receive two one-gallon-sized containers and a second receptacle sized and configured to receive two one-gallon-sized containers.
 15. A system comprising: a first crate including: a floor; a plurality of side walls including a first side wall and an opposing second side wall; a first set of projections projecting inwardly from an interior surface of the first side wall of the first crate; a first set of receiving portions formed in an exterior surface of the first side wall of the first crate; a second set of projections projecting inwardly from an interior surface of the second side wall of the first crate; and a second set of receiving portions formed in an exterior surface of the second side wall of the first crate; and a second crate including: a floor; a plurality of side walls including a first side wall and an opposing second side wall; a first set of projections projecting inwardly from an interior surface of the first side wall of the second crate; a first set of receiving portions formed in an exterior surface of the first side wall of the second crate; a second set of projections projecting inwardly from an interior surface of the second side wall of the second crate; and a second set of receiving portions formed in an exterior surface of the second side wall of the second crate; wherein the first and second crates are sized and configured to be arranged in a first stacked arrangement in which the first crate is positioned adjacent to and above the second crate and in which one or more portions of the first crate rest upon ledges formed by the first and second sets of projections of the second crate; wherein the first and second crates are sized and configured to be arranged in a second stacked arrangement in which the second crate is positioned adjacent to and above the first crate and in which one or more portions of the second crate rest upon ledges formed by the first and second sets of projections of the first crate; wherein the first and second crates are sized and configured to be arranged in a first nested arrangement in which the first crate is positioned adjacent to and above the second crate, the first set of receiving portions of the first crate receive at least a portion of the first set of projections of the second crate, and the second set of receiving portions of the first crate receive at least a portion of the second set of projections of the second crate; and wherein the first and second crates are sized and configured to be arranged in a second nested arrangement in which the second crate is positioned adjacent to and above the first crate, the first set of receiving portions of the second crate receive at least a portion of the first set of projections of the first crate, and the second set of receiving portions of the second crate receive at least a portion of the second set of projections of the first crate.
 16. The system as in claim 15, wherein the first set of projections projecting inwardly from the interior surface of the first side wall of the first crate are generally aligned with the first set of receiving portions formed in the exterior surface of the first side wall of the first crate; and wherein the second set of projections projecting inwardly from the interior surface of the second side wall of the first crate are generally aligned with the second set of receiving portions formed in the exterior surface of the second side wall of the first crate.
 17. The system as in claim 15, wherein the first set of receiving portions formed in the exterior surface of the first side wall of the first crate include elongated slots that extend through the first side wall of the first crate; and wherein the second set of receiving portions formed in the exterior surface of the second side wall of the first crate include elongated slots that extend through the second side wall of the first crate.
 18. The system as in claim 15, wherein the plurality of side walls of the first crate further includes a third side wall and a fourth side wall; and wherein the first crate further includes an elongated support that extends between and interconnects the first and second side walls of the first crate to form a pair of receptacles in the first crate.
 19. The system as in claim 18, wherein the floor of the second crate includes a channel that receives a portion of the elongated support of the first crate when the first and second crate are in the second stacked arrangement.
 20. The system as in claim 18, wherein the pair of receptacles in the first crate include a first receptacle sized and configured to receive two one-gallon-sized containers and a second receptacle sized and configured to receive two one-gallon-sized containers. 